Another Forks Project.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nicahawk
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MObilus,

I agree. I had the AC tombstone but left it behind in Oregon and when I got here I bought a decent mig. Is the mig easier to use and makes nicer looking welds? Sure, But I got pretty good with that old buzz box and I have told myself the next used one I see at a yardsale is going to be mine. I miss it, I really do.

Ok Doug,

No pressure, sorry for yelling at you in my last post, but all advice you got wasn't wrong. A mig is easier to use and the $1000 + ones will penetrate fine. If I was a proffesional welder I would use one to weld your bucket. Hell, I am not a proffesional welder but I use one to weld MY bucket.

On the other hand I'm sure you spent less than half that (I sure hope you did) on your machine and with just a little practice it will stick metal as good as any mig (better actually because it penetrates more, code welding ussually requires stick welding).

It may not look as pretty, or be quite as convenient, but it will stick metal. WIth a little more practice and perhaps a touch up with a grinder (but dont grind your whole weld away now) it will even look presentable to your GF's brothers.

Probably just the ticket for a guy with a small tractor bussiness who doesn't weld very much, but when he does he needs it to stay stuck so he can avoid dragging his tractor to a welder who will charge him more than what he spent on his welder to lay a few beads down.
 
Dougster said:
Well, I think you know that this is a topic on which I have been going 'round and 'round for 13 months now. I bought the stick welder on what I considered expert advice that this was the correct welder for me and my needs. I had no sooner bought the dang thing when I was told exactly the opposite by equally qualified & trusted people: Namely, that a MIG welder would be much better for all of my needs AND be far easier to use. This was reinforced rather significantly in my mind when BOTH of my local big-dollar professional welder folks under consideration to do this work told me they would be using their MIG welders to execute my proposed projects. :eek: Son of a B$@%#!!! :rolleyes:

Going back rather peeved to my original "advisers"... they conceded that a MIG welder would probably be better than the stick welder for me and MOST of my applications. Thanks for nuthin' guys! :rolleyes:

And now are you ready for this??? Yesterday, I talked with yet another retired welder who absolutely insisted that the stick welder was the only way to fly. My head is still spinning from that conversation. :pat: I keep wondering: Am I on Candid Camera here??? :confused:

So here I sit in welding freakin' gridlock... unable to afford the $1,000+ MIG welder I want... but also unable to afford the lessons that would get me to the point where I'd feel confident attacking my projects with the Lincoln tombstone stick welder I'd bought. :(

That's where it sits today. Thank God Almighty that I've now got the CAT bucket and I can do everything I want with it... no mods or reinforcements required. The pressure is off (temporarily) for the badly needed mods to the other two KMW buckets. But other projects are waiting as well.

Dougster

p.s., a note to all: I joke about it so folks don't take me too seriously... and I understand that... but the old Dougster is hurtin' bad right now in the cash flow area. Medical, dental and other winter/year-end bills are crushing me. Things should improve by March or April when I make one grand, all-or-nuthin' "last gasp" effort to fund my pitiful little business for one last digging season. I will re-address the welding needs issue at that time to the best of my ability... but please give the old Dougster a little breathing room on this one topic for now. Thanks! -d
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The major advantage of a AC/DC Stick Welder is you can weld RUST, i.e. it doesn't have to be perfectly clean...:D
Also, you can weld in the wind...:D

Check with your local technical high school, because they accept adult students...alot cheaper than private welding schools...
 
mobilus said:
But, like that teenage boy out on his first hot and heavy date, you may think you know how, but you'll lack the finesse required. Practice. No one learned any different...and when you pay that $275 for the class, you'll be doing the same thing. Weld some scrap iron together and see if you can beat it apart. When you can't, you'll be onto something. Best of luck!
Mark
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shinnlinger said:
Ok Doug, No pressure, sorry for yelling at you in my last post, but all advice you got wasn't wrong. A mig is easier to use and the $1000 + ones will penetrate fine. If I was a proffesional welder I would use one to weld your bucket. Hell, I am not a proffesional welder but I use one to weld MY bucket.

On the other hand I'm sure you spent less than half that (I sure hope you did) on your machine and with just a little practice it will stick metal as good as any mig (better actually because it penetrates more, code welding ussually requires stick welding).

It may not look as pretty, or be quite as convenient, but it will stick metal. WIth a little more practice and perhaps a touch up with a grinder (but dont grind your whole weld away now) it will even look presentable to your GF's brothers.

Probably just the ticket for a guy with a small tractor bussiness who doesn't weld very much, but when he does he needs it to stay stuck so he can avoid dragging his tractor to a welder who will charge him more than what he spent on his welder to lay a few beads down.
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PaulChristenson said:
The major advantage of a AC/DC Stick Welder is you can weld RUST, i.e. it doesn't have to be perfectly clean...:D Also, you can weld in the wind...:D Check with your local technical high school, because they accept adult students...alot cheaper than private welding schools...
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The problem with being a mechanical engineer, albeit now laid-off/semi-retired, is that you want to do things like this right. It's not just a matter of sticking two things together via the cheapest or fastest way possible and seeing if they hold. There is a certain pride I take in the design, execution and quality of the finished product that is hard to explain. Perhaps that is best seen in the computer repair work I continue to do between digging and plowing jobs. It is not enough that I manage to get a client's dead computer working again. Rather, the returned computer must be perfect in every respect, both inside and out... hardware and software. 99% perfect will not do. 100% is my only acceptable product. And it is not just adequate that it works well. The process to get there must have been complete and correct as well. The client may never notice the difference, but I would know if a shortcut had been taken... and I could never live with that.

There is probably the name of a psychological disorder or two that could be attached to this relentless drive to do things right no matter what time or effort it takes (or sometimes the delay it involves). It is also the most apparent reason that I will never be a success in the business world... and why conflicting advice from trusted sources on a topic like this drives me to distraction. :o

Dougster
 
Dougster said:
The problem with being a mechanical engineer, albeit now laid-off/semi-retired, is that you want to do things like this right. It's not just a matter of sticking two things together via the cheapest or fastest way possible and seeing if they hold. There is a certain pride I take in the design, execution and quality of the finished product that is hard to explain. Perhaps that is best seen in the computer repair work I continue to do between digging and plowing jobs. It is not enough that I manage to get a client's dead computer working again. Rather, the returned computer must be perfect in every respect, both inside and out... hardware and software. 99% perfect will not do. 100% is my only acceptable product. And it is not just adequate that it works well. The process to get there must have been complete and correct as well. The client may never notice the difference, but I would know if a shortcut had been taken... and I could never live with that.

There is probably the name of a psychological disorder or two that could be attached to this relentless drive to do things right no matter what time or effort it takes (or sometimes the delay it involves). It is also the most apparent reason that I will never be a success in the business world... and why conflicting advice from trusted sources on a topic like this drives me to distraction. :o

Dougster
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Dougster...Perfectionism is a problem, it can lead to complete inaction...dealt with it years ago...:rolleyes: ...Just remember the mantra...Best is the enemy of Good...:D
Now, getting back to welding...:D...if you have ever been on a MAJOR construction project you would have noticed there is always a little corrosion on metals, which is why ARC Welding is important it can join those pieces without having to spend more money and time cleaning down to bare metal...As the business mantra goes...TIME IS MONEY...:D
 
PaulChristenson said:
Dougster...Perfectionism is a problem, it can lead to complete inaction...dealt with it years ago...:rolleyes: ...Just remember the mantra...Best is the enemy of Good...:D
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Oh Lordy! :eek: You did find the official name for it!!! :o

"Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that perfection can and should be attained. In its pathological form, it is a belief that anything less than perfect is unacceptable. At pathological levels, this is considered an unhealthy belief."

This sorta confirms it, doesn't it? :( I am even sicker than I thought. :rolleyes: I wonder if Jay can treat it??? :confused:

But what will my clients say when their computers come back buggy??? :confused: Will I still get paid???
PaulChristenson said:
Now, getting back to welding... if you have ever been on a MAJOR construction project you would have noticed there is always a little corrosion on metals, which is why ARC Welding is important it can join those pieces without having to spend more money and time cleaning down to bare metal...As the business mantra goes...TIME IS MONEY...
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Or in my case, time is lack of money... which leads to lack of Starbucks :starbucks: Coffee. :o Is there a name for that too??? :(

Seriously, I do get your point, but that (i.e., preparation for welding) is not my biggest concern. I just want the machine that can give me the best product possible with the least amount of aggravation and shortest learning curve... fully recognizing that welding is something with which I have had little personal experience and all of it bad.

There is a strange irony to that since I used to specify welding requirements and audit welding practices & quality records for ASME B31.1 power plant piping installed all over the world... and, in fact, wrote the corporate standard for same for a major architect-engineering firm. But it is one thing to know the code requirements... and another thing altogether to perform the actual work. :o

Dougster
 
DOugster,

You are implying that there is somthing less than perfect with the stick, but in many instances it is the perfect tool. If you want pick up some "jet rod" and anti splatter spray and after a slight touch up with a grinder lay a bead with the "jet", let it cool and hit it with spray paint. It will look and hold great for far less $$$ than the mig. SInce you seem to be a lttle short of that, I would think that thing in your garage is the perfect tool.
 
shinnlinger said:
DOugster, You are implying that there is somthing less than perfect with the stick, but in many instances it is the perfect tool. If you want pick up some "jet rod" and anti splatter spray and after a slight touch up with a grinder lay a bead with the "jet", let it cool and hit it with spray paint. It will look and hold great for far less $$$ than the mig. SInce you seem to be a lttle short of that, I would think that thing in your garage is the perfect tool.
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Oh, I'm not trying to imply any such thing. I fully understand that both machines will do the job and do it nicely... with a trained, experienced operator. And that an argument can be made that the stick welder can even give a superior (i.e., stronger) result in the the right hands. But I am not a skilled operator. My current rank is "sub-novice"... and maybe even worse than that (totally clueless maybe???).

And while short-term cash flow is at a near-crisis point for me at this time, I do expect to work out a business funding plan within a couple months that will carry the business through the end of the upcoming digging season intact... including the possible acquisition of a significant new item of equipment. If all goes well, I'll be re-examining the MIG welder issue at that time.

Dougster
 
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